Fundraising above par for A Place Called Home
Coach and Horses pitches in with golf tournament reception
A golf tournament held in Dunsford raised over $1,200.00 to support A Place Called Home’s work in Lindsay.
Organizer Jim Negus approached Kim Wagg and Nicole Rochette, co-owners of the Coach and Horses to see if they’d help make it happen. Although they are new owners of the Coach, they were aware of the long history of the Coach and Negus working together to make the charity event a success and were immediately on board.
Negus organized the golf while Wagg and Rochette organized the reception. Proceeds from the tournament have gone to APCH since 2006. The shelter – which provides support for those who find themselves homeless or at risk of homelessness – is in the middle of a new build, the largest undertaking in its history.
For Negus, the association with APCH has been an eye-opener. For one thing, he says he didn’t realize the shelter also helped families. “There’s a perception out there that the organization is just for drug addicts.”
The recent event saw 48 golfers renew some friendly team rivalries at the Dunsford Golf Course.
When Negus thinks about the need for a new building to serve those who are homeless in Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton, he says “I think we need more. It’s a step in the right direction but it needs more support from all levels of government because there is so much support from the community.”
The new build is the biggest project in the agency’s history. With major funding support from City of Kawartha Lakes and the Ontario government, the volunteer board of APCH has a fundraising target of $1.5 million to complete the project.
Chair of the volunteer board of directors of APCH, Karen Round says she is humbled “by the generous support to date from our communities, knowing we are all experiencing impacts from the pandemic.”
“We are grateful to golfers who participated in this tournament and to Jim, Nicole, and Kim for their example of leadership from the local business community,” Round said.
She appealed to others to make the shelter “your charity of choice.”
Next year Negus, Rochette and Wagg have plans for a full-fledged tournament tentatively scheduled for July 9 at the Dunsford Golf Club.
